QC solon proposes 120-day maternity leave

• Source:http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/12/24/qc-solon-proposes-120-day-maternity-leave/
• Thursday, December 24, 2015

By Ben R. Rosario

An administration congressman is batting for the enactment of a bill that would double the period of maternity leave from 60 days to 120 days.

In House Bill 6294, Quezon City Rep. Alfredo Vargas stressed the need to increase the paid leave of absence for women who have given birth, saying that this would protect the right of the mothers and their infant to proper health care.

Vargas, vice chairman of the House Committee on Health, said the bill also backs the country’s bid to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of drastically reducing child mortality and cause the improvement of maternal health.

“According to the 5th Philippine Progress Report on the MDGs, the Philippines has a high probability of achieving the 2015 target of reducing the mortality rate of children in 2011,” Vargas said.

He said such probability may rise further if the newborn and the mother are given ample time to be with each other. Citing the report, Vargas said that in 2011 the Philippines recorded a child mortality rate of 30 out of 1,000 live births, which is not far from the 2015 target of 26.7.

The report also noted that infant mortality rate also decreased from 57 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 22 per 1,000 live births in 2011. The 2015 target is 19.

“However, it is feared that the Philippines will not meet its MDG target on maternal health as the maternal mortality ratio increased from 209 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 221 deaths in 2011, a far cry from the 2015 target of 52,” Vargas said.